


Her Successor

by IllegalCerebral



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Case Fic, Kidnapping, Light Angst, Post-Canon, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23018407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IllegalCerebral/pseuds/IllegalCerebral
Summary: It was your dream to work at the BAU but you were taking over from Penelope Garcia. After fifteen years the team is having a hard time letting go or letting you in.
Relationships: The BAU Team & Reader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 53





	Her Successor

**Author's Note:**

> **I only post my work to AO3 and tumblr. If you find this story posted on other platforms they have been stolen and reposted without my permission**

No one ever said joining one of the most elite units in the FBI was going to be easy but it turned out to be way harder than you could have imagined.

The day you got the call from Emily Prentiss saying you had been selected as the new technical analyst for the team had been one of the happiest in your life. You’d apologised for practically screaming down the phone but Emily had just laughed and said she was sure you would be a good fit. You stayed up the night before your first day painstakingly putting together the perfect outfit to demonstrate you were a capable, professional woman who was fully suited to the serious work of supporting a team of profilers. It was well tailored, simple, and sophisticated. It wasn’t your usual style but you were determined to make a good impression.

The welcome you got the next day was somewhat restrained. There were polite smiles and small nods as Emily introduced you.

“Agent Y/N has an impressive resume, top of her class at the academy and experience in both counter-terrorism and organised crime as well as brief stint with Andy Swann’s unit.” A murmur ran round the group, “For her probationary period she will concentrate solely on technical support while I’ll handle case selection and presentation. Speaking of which…”

You were used to the crime scene photos and organised crime had shown you the full spectrum of human brutality so you were able to take everything in and typed extensive notes on the case, not noticing the sideways looks your frantic tapping of the keys were prompting.

“Those marks look almost surgical,” Tara said, “A doctor?”

“One who wouldn’t have been able to keep these urges hidden,” said Rossi, “We’re looking for a doctor who was struck off or forced to leave medicine. That would also make for a good trigger.”

“Okay, since the case is local we’ll work from here rather than the local PD. JJ you and Matt take the first crime scene, Dave, Tara and I will take the second and Reid and Luke will take the coroner. Y/N we need a list of every doctor in the tri-state area who has done surgical work. Start with those struck off within a month of the first killing and work backwards,” Emily stopped, taking in the look on your face.

“That would generate a list in the thousands.” More looks, this time of disbelief or doubt.

“Yes,” Emily dragged out the word, “then we narrow it down.”

“Of course,” you scrambled to cover your mistake. Obviously you would have to narrow it down. You weren’t a profiler though and you would need more parameters to work with. You had expected it to be more of an on-going dialogue to be honest, the way you had worked with your previous teams but in that moment you were acutely aware of everyone’s eyes on you and a sour sense of failure brewing in your chest. All you wanted to do was run. Keeping your cool, you headed out with everyone else but just as you rounded the corner to your new office you distinctly heard someone mutter.

“She’s not Garcia is she?”

_Don’t let it get to you; don’t let it get to you._

They missed their friend, which was totally normal. The BAU were professionals and they certainly weren’t going to hold it against you that their analyst of fifteen plus years had moved on to greener pastures.

Were they?

Shoving the thought from your head, you started compiling the list. An hour or so later you were already about half way done. There were some programs and algorithms Garcia had written that could speed up the process and you were able to create some short cuts of your own but it was still a lengthy process.

Your hone rang and you jabbed the answer button on your headset followed by an efficient, “Y/N”. There was a pause. “Hello?”

“Sorry I thought…never mind, “ JJ said, “We might be able to narrow down your list of potential unsubs.”

“I’m about halfway through the list. Two hundred names already so anything you’ve got-“

“You’re not done?” Matt interrupted. Part of you wanted to launch into an explanation about how difficult it was to collate the sorts of information they were after, how a lot of the information wasn’t in a database and the rest was spread across different places and required varying levels of access, court orders or dubious practices to acquire.

Part of you knew it was pointless and you listened to the weighty silence.

“What’s this new information?” you asked, trying your hardest not to grit your teeth.

It took a week to wrap up the case. You stayed later and later every night and got in earlier and earlier every morning until you didn’t bother going home for the final two days. Your office was oppressively hot with the servers and machines running and full pelt and once or twice you had to run to the bathroom and press your face against the tiled walls to keep from passing out.

Worst of all were the implications behind every phone and skype call you had with the team. Sighs were swallowed and frustrations bit back every time you told them you needed a little bit longer or a little bit more specificity or even just two seconds for them to actually spell out the name they wanted you to look up. It was relief when you got the call that the unsub was in custody and the team were heading back. You were laying the after action report on Emily’s desk when she arrived.

“That’s fast,” she frowned. You shrugged.

“I keep detailed notes. It’s just a case of reorganising them for the report.” The surge of satisfaction at the surprise on her face was dulled when Emily just nodded and reminded you to be in early for debriefing the next day. You trailed down to your office at a snail’s pace and gathered you things only to be confronted by the rest of the team at the elevator. They mumbled some hellos that you politely returned.

“So Luke, how did your dinner date go?” Tara broke the awkward silence that settled over the group. Subtly everyone seemed to shift, turning towards Luke so you were penned out.

“Yeah Penelope is being very hush-hush with the details,” joked JJ, “Are you that bad?” Laughter erupted over Luke’s spluttering denials. You were too distracted by yet another barrier to the team not accepting you.

“It was nice and that’s all I’m telling you guys. It’s none of your business.”

“Either it was really good or really bad and if you don’t dish we’re going to assume the worst,” Matt nudged Luke. The elevator doors opened and everyone poured in. It was far too cramped for an extra body. The laughter died abruptly as you hovered awkwardly.

“I’ll take the stairs,” you waved it off, “see you guys tomorrow.”

Shame burned your face and your eyes began to sting as soon as you turned your back. It was your first week and you were crying at work. Anger at yourself bloomed in your chest. It was just a job, you didn’t need your colleagues to like you and yet there you were sniffling and trying not to feel worse.

You tried to kid yourself it was just the stress of the first week but as weeks turned into months you found yourself struggling. At first it was just feeling awkward and out of place with the team but soon the office felt claustrophobic, the demands on your time and skills were becoming more difficult to keep up with and your six month probation period was rapidly approaching the end with little sign you would be kept on. Your dream job and you had crashed and burned in the space of half a year.

Most of the team were all out of the office on another local case. You actually preferred the distance when they flew to other parts of the country but this was four missing teenage girls and Tara and Luke were conducting cognitive interviews with their parents while you scanned their social media pages. Several names had come up repeatedly, a local guy, a few years older than the girls but still hanging around their high school.

“Jacob Trevane,” you handed over a tablet with everything you had found on him, “22, dropped out of college after a year due to some drug related issues, no fixed address. He’s been couch surfing for the past eighteen months ever since his father kicked him out of their house. Dad died of a heart attack a week ago.” You rubbed your eyes, trying to dull the headache blooming behind them. Four straight hours staring at a screen had given you a nauseous feeling.

“But where is he now?” Luke asked.

“His phone is switched off, I’m trying to triangulate-“

“He’s our best lead Y/N,” Tara said exasperatedly, “we need to know where he is.” You blinked.

“Oh you do? Shit, I’m sorry I thought I was getting all this information for fun.” Both Luke and Tara’s mouths fell open and you knew you should have stopped and apologised but the dam was broken. “You know what Trevane’s degree was in before he dropped out? Computer engineering with extra classes in political science, sociology and digital cultures. He has systematically erased any trace of himself online, I only got his name because two of the girls mentioned him one on Facebook. He withdrew all his cash from the bank and hasn’t applied for any loans or credit cards. He’s avoided libraries, Internet cafes and anywhere else you can use computers either for free or for a price. It’s deliberate, he’s smart, he knows exactly how to avoid leaving any kind of footprint. I have spent hours on the phone to locals having them pull footage from cameras all over the state to find how he is moving around and nothing. He. Is. A Ghost.”

“I understand-“ Tara held up a hand.

“No you don’t,” you snapped, “you have no idea. I get that you are all labouring under the belief that Agent Garcia waved a magic wand and summoned all this information here in the blink of an eye but you’re wrong. None of you have the first clue how any of this stuff works.” You shoved the tablet into Tara’s hand and strode off, fists clenched. At the sound of Luke’s voice you stopped but didn’t turn.

“Maybe we don’t understand how this works but we always trusted Penelope to do her job.”

It physically hurt, as if you’d been punched in the gut but you fought the urge to turn and face him, instead heading straight back to your office. As cathartic as it had been your outburst had also given you an idea. You grabbed your phone, scrolling through it until you found the number of an old friend.

Three hours later the rest of the team was back and as soon as your saw Emily’s face it was obvious they all knew what had gone down. Fuck it. You had some people to save. You brought the map up on the screen in the briefing room.

“These are the woods six miles from where the girls were last seen,” you didn’t both with any formalities.

“Is this drone footage?” JJ asked. You nodded.

“A friend of mine from the DoJ flies them. We used them in counter terrorism sometimes. This is from twenty minutes ago, you see that?”

“It’s a building,” Matt said.

“A cabin. No gas, electricity or running water and yet on every sweep of the area the drone has done they’ve caught sight of movement through the windows. It’s not tourist season.”

“What makes you think it’s relevant to the case?” asked Rossi.

“There’s an essay written by Trevane at college just before he dropped out where he quotes _Industrial Society and Its Future,_ which struck me as an odd choice for someone so technologically inclined but the essay was about getting off the grid, giving up technology and hiding himself away with his own personal harem to start a new society.” You pulled up the essay.

“He couldn’t go far with three girls so it was case of using Dr Reid’s geographical profile to narrow down surrounding areas that would fit with his ideology and fit the Unabomber aesthetic.”

“Y/N that’s-“ Emily began but you were already halfway out the door.

“I took the liberty of passing this information onto the local PD they’ll meet you at the cabin, SWAT is there too in case the cabin is rigged with traps” you called over your shoulder.

Back in your office you started shoving things into boxes. It didn’t take long seeing as you had never felt comfortable enough to start making the place your own. It didn’t stop you from doing one final sweep, pulling out your desk and drawers until a pink slip fluttered out. It was a folded up post-it note.

**This job is hard. It will chip away at you if you let it. Always look for the light and the colour and the song even when in dark and you’ll make it through.**

The writing was swirly and neat. You blinked, reading it again and again and you couldn’t bring yourself to throw it away. There wasn’t any light or colour or song though.

You pressed the post it to the blank screen and headed out with the box tucked under your arm, making it to the elevator before the doors swung open to the reveal the team.

“We found them. The girls are okay and…” the smile slipped from Emily’s face as she took in your appearance, “What’s going on?”

You pushed past them all and headed into the elevator.

“I figure it’s not worth subjecting any of us to the rest of my probationary period. You won’t keep me on anyway.” At least you could roll your eyes at their protests now. “My advice? Call agent Garcia and offer her anything and everything you can to get her back. You clearly aren’t capable of working with anyone else.”

The group stood dumbstruck as the doors closed and as you descended it was a like a weight was lifted off your shoulders more and more with each floor you passed. By the time you made your way through the foyer you were happier than you had been in weeks.

You had tentatively reached out to your former units and organised crime needed your help on a short-term basis, which would give you some time to plan what you wanted to do in the long run. Now you could rest and start forgetting about the BAU. Or at least that was the plan.

“So you’re Y/N! Oh my gosh, those pyjamas are so cute! I knew you’d be cute when I saw your file,” the blonde woman gushed as soon as you opened your front door midday on your first Monday as a free woman. The words wouldn’t come. “Sorry this must be totally weird for you. I’m Penelope!”

“I…what are you doing at my house?” you asked.

“I heard about what happened and then I saw you found my note, the pink one and I figured if that hadn’t done the trick then I would need to use all my powers of persuasion on you.” Penelope stood beaming, hands on hips like some superhero which was fitting really since you felt like you’d crash landed in bizarro world.

“Persuade me? I quit. I spent nearly six months at the BAU and they were the hardest of my life. The team made it very clear I couldn’t measure up to you and frankly I am exhausted with trying. Please go,” you moved to close the door but Penelope shoved her foot in the way.

“Oh no missy. I waded through over two hundred resumes and chose you to be the new guardian angel for my team. No one else came close. You think I want some rando looking after the people I love?”

“But I thought Agent Prentiss-“ you frowned. Penelope cut you off with a mouth zipping motion.

“No, you’re done talking. You’re coming to the office with me. In daytime clothes not your PJs. Now shoo, get dressed.”

The ride over had been a haze of Penelope explaining how she had been the one to choose you; she had heard about your work but was more interested in who you were as a person. Every former colleague she had spoken to told her you were trustworthy and loyal and you cared about people. That meant more to Penelope than your technical skills.

“The team didn’t seem to think much of either of those things,” you said, more sulkily than you intended.

“Well I am going to remedy that.”

The team looked as surprised as you felt to see you walking through the doors of the bullpen, trailing after Penelope. You shrank a little as she called for attention and then pulled out a chair from and empty desk and clambered up (an impressive feat in six inch heels).

“Pen what are you-“

“Hush, _newbie_ ,” there was a ripple of something you couldn’t name at her choice of epithet. “Am I a joke to you people?”

The BAU gathered round, giving each other the side eye. More than a few of them looked at you but you just shrugged in response.

“I think you’re going to have to explain,” said Rossi.

“I have been gone six months-“

“I saw you at breakfast! You were fine. She was fine!” Luke turned to Reid pleadingly.

“Luke! As I was saying, I have been gone for six months and I thought that was more than enough time for you guys to make my chosen replacement feel welcome. Do you know how many people wanted this job?”

“248…give or take…” Reid’s voice trailed off.

“I didn’t choose Y/N on a whim. She was the only person I trusted to take care of you guys and you treated her like trash.”

“We didn’t!”

“You…you kinda did,” you mumbled, “It’s like none of you have any idea what the hell a technical analyst is supposed to do and how long it takes.”

“Oh they don’t!” Penelope turned and flashed you a smile. “ Whenever they call up asking for something I fill the time with my dazzling wit and oozing seductions so I can try and whittle down the stupidly vast swathes of information their broad requests summon.”

“You what?”

The office exploded into a mix of arguing and denials. You stood dumbstruck at the ‘elite agents’ bickering like children in front of you.

“Okay, I’m gonna go,” you mumbled.

“No Y/N please!” said Emily, “Garcia is right about one thing-“

“More than one”

“We treated you very poorly. No one…no one on this team is very good with change. You did a good job, your reports were flawless. Your work on the missing girls’ case was phenomenal. We would have four grieving families if you hadn’t done what you did.”

“I guess we always took what Penelope did for granted,” said Rossi.

“No one took me seriously when I started working here and I kind of fed on that,” Penelope shrugged, “the way I dressed, the way I talked was all a distraction so I could blindside them with my skills. It was my way of coping. The thing was I…kept hiding behind it. I never expected the leave the BAU and so I never let the team see how things really are.”

You shifted your weight from side to side slightly. This job had been your dream and in less than six months it had almost broken you. You didn’t want to give them the time of day.

And yet hearing the families of those girls sobbing with joy over their children being returned for them had been such a rush.

“I have two weeks left on my probation,” you said slowly, “that gives you guys two weeks to prove to me that we can work as a team.” The squeal of delight that emanated from Penelope almost ruptured your eardrums.

“Deal,” grinned Emily.


End file.
